C.R.E.A.M.

For a while now Gary V has been referencing an old Wu-Tang Clan song C.R.E.A.M. aka Cash Rules Everything Around Me.  For him the “C” stands for cloud (as discussed in this video) and/or caring (about your community, customers, users).  For me the “C” represents content and it’s truly all around me.

It’s difficult to sort through the abundance of content I now have at my fingertips. I want to consume so many different feeds, blogs, podcasts, magazines and albums, but there are only 36 hours in a day.  Although I’m learning a lot, it’s time for me to build a better filter, consume a bit less and focus more on shipping my own “art” (as Seth Godin would say).

Since Twitter has really become “home base” for me, I’ve created a filter/group in Tweetdeck that allows me to quickly review a specific subset of those I follow.  Through this group I’ve discovered the two new resources of content that I currently prefer over everything else.

This Week In Startups

This Week in Startups (TWiST) is a Web TV show/podcast hosted by Jason Calacanis, an entrepreneur and angel investor based in LA.  His current focus is Mahalo.com (he’s the CEO), but he has his hands in a number of different projects.

Each week Jason and his guests chat about their experiences in the business world and take calls from aspiring entrepreneurs.

For me the most valuable aspect of this show is Jason’s unique perspective on how to launch a company, product or service. He was a tech journalist/entrepreneur during the first bubble, so in many ways he’s also an Internet historian.  While he’s been extremely successful and has plenty of money, he hasn’t had a billion-dollar exit yet so you can tell he’s still hungry.  He likes to give advice and often recommends watching the fight scenes from Gladiator for inspiration and motivation. There’s no doubt Jason is a polarizing figure, but you have to respect his knowledge and experience.

The next thing I can’t get enough of right now is Mixergy.com.  This is a very similar format of Q&A with entrepreneurs, but the style is extremely different.  That’s because the host, Andrew Warner, is a much different personality than Jason.  Andrew is also an entrepreneur, but he’s more interested in learning from his guests and less inclined to give his own advice.  I really like his non-threatening interview style and his guests seem to divulge more information because of it.  The great thing about Mixergy is that Andrew posts a new episode almost every day!

I subscribe to both of these through iTunes and usually listen to them in the gym or in my car.  However, you can watch both shows live online if you want.  For those that do, it’s easy to participate in real time (Twitter, chat rooms, etc.) and truly interact with the hosts/guests.  This interactivity is a glimpse of where traditional TV is headed.

Both shows are supported by sponsors that understand the value of reaching a niche audience.  It’s not uncommon for viewers to thank the sponsors, so with that in mind I have to do the same.  Thanks to the following companies for helping to deliver this great content:

@shopify @grasshopper @RichWP for sponsoring @Mixergy

@Bing, @WebSpy, @DNAMail, @ustream @powervps @Audible_com for sponsoring TWiST